Elevator mechanism.



No. 808,637. 7 PATENTED JAN. 2, 1906. W. OROSSLEY.

ELEVATOR MECHANISM.

APPLICATION FILED JAN. 12, 1905.

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JZ WITNESSES: /NVEN70R No. 808,637. PATENTED JAN. 2, 1906.

W. GROSSLEY.

ELEVATOR MECHANISM.

APPLICATION FILED J'AN.12, 1906) 2 SHEETS-SHEET 2.

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ELEVATOR MECHANISM.

Specification of Letters Patent.

Patented J an. 2, 1906.

Application filed January I2, 1905. Serial No. 240,741.

10 ML whom, it may concern.-

Be it known that 1, WILLIAM CRossLEY, a citizen of the United States, and a resident of West Haven, in the county of New Haven and State of Connecticut, have invented certain new and useful Improvements in Elevator Mechanism, of which the following is a full, clear, and exact specification.

My invention relates to elevator mechanism of the class in which an endless chain or belt of conveyer buckets or scoops is carried by revolving drums to raise material from the lower to the higher loop of the belt and deposit it by the inversion of the scoops at the upper turning-point of their travel.

The invention has for its object to provide an improved construction of sprocket drum or wheel and system of connecting the series of scoops in an endless conveyer or chain particularly adapted for purposes of dredging, placer-n 1ining, and excavating.

The invention consists in the novel con struction and arrangement of the parts of the carrying-wheel or sprocket-drum and connecting mechanism of the chain of scoops and the combination of the said devices, as

hereinafter more fully described and claimed.

In the accompanying drawings, forming a part of this specification, Figure 1 is a side elevation, broken or shown partly in crosssection, of the lower revolving sprocket-drum or carrier-wheel and section of a chain of conveyer buckets or scoops. Fig. 2 is a vertical section through Fig. 1 lengthwise of the axle and vertical plane thereof. Fig. 3 is a plan view of a single pair of carrying-teeth and corresponding sections of the sprocket-drum viewed radially from the periphery of the wheel toward the axle. Fig. 4 is a plan view of a scoop viewed radially of the sprocketdrum from the axle toward the scoop. Fig. 5 is a cross-section through the shaft and water-tight joint of the sprocket-drum on line 00 as, Fig. 2. Fig 6 shows a part of the upper sprocket-drum and section of the chain of scoops.

Referring to the drawings, A designates one of the polygonal-sided or substantially cylindrical disk-heads of the sprocket drum or wheel, of which there are two to each drum, connected by bolts 7) to the cylindrical hub D. Said hub is generally fastened to its shaft when it pertains to the upper drum, or that driven by the motive power; but the lower drum, which is that here shown, is preferably mounted and adapted to revolve upon its shaft E, which is rigidly supported in the lower ends of suitable arms or frames F, held by the nuts (1 on the screw-threaded ends a of the shaft. In such case the hub is formed with a central chamber f, surrounding the shaft, which may be filled with a lubricant which will slowly ooze into the shaft-bearings and keep the surfaces oiled while the sprocket-drum is buried in sand or water, and therefore inaccessible. The lubricant may be inserted through an orifice f which is kept sealed with a removable plug f To the outer face of each disk are bolted or riveted the pointed carrier-teeth G, regularly spaced around the periphery of the disk with their points projecting therefrom, as shown. On the inside faces of the disks are similarly secured a series of supporting-flanges consisting in the present instance of bars of angle-iron h, secured to the disk with their projecting flanges forming a series of brackets which comprise bearing-seats for the conveyer scoops upon the periphery of the sprocket-drum. The rivets f, which secure the carrier teeth to the disks, also pass through and secure the outer ends of the parts h. Suitable cross-stays h are fastened from the outer ends of a certain number of the flanges h to the inner ends of the same flanges of the opposite disk to rigidly brace the structure.

The conveyer-scoops L comprise scoopedshaped shells having their ends fitting freely between the disks of the sprocket-drums and provided with lugs or bearings 11, adapted to engage and rest upon the seats 72. of the s rocket-drums. On the outer surfaces of t e ends of the scoops are a pair of cylindrical journals or bosses a, cast or otherwise made integral therewith. These journals receive the links m, by which the scoops are connected, in an endless chain, as shown in Fig. 1, each journal fitting a bearing n in the end of the link which hinges the scoop to the next adjacent member of the series. The links are held in place on the journals by the caps n, bolted to the journals in any suitable manner, as by means of a single belt or stud n secured through the axial'center of the journal, with holding-nut n upon the inside of the scoop, as shown. The ends of the links are rounded, and the spaces between them on the inside are engaged by the intermeshing points of the carrier-teeth g, which thereby in operation convey the chain by the rotations of the sprocket-drums and locate the from the oil reservoir or chamber of the hub.

This I attain as follows: On the shaft at each end of the sprocket-drum are placed a pair of collars 1", filling the space between the drum and its supporting-arms or frames F, each provided with a flange or series of lugs 1", by which it is bolted to the disk of the drum or to the frame F. The outside surfaces of the collars are conical or beveled, as shown, having the bases of the cones at the joints between them. Over the beveled surfaces of each pair of collars a split ring t is fitted, hav ing its half-sections bolted together by means of flanges t and bolts t whereby it is tightly clamped upon the collars and forms a water tight housing around the joint between them. The collars which are bolted to the drum revolve with it, and those which are secured to the frames F are thereby held stationary; but the splitring or housing If is free to revolve or remain stationary or to slip in part upon both collars. This joint effectually excludes dirt and water from entering into the frictional surfaces of the drum and its shaft and retains the lubricant in the chamber f.

I claim as my invention and desire to secure by Letters Patent- 1. The combination of a chain of link-connected conveyerscoops, provided at their ends with bearing-seats, a rotatable sprocketdrum comprising a pair of disks, a hub connecting the disks, forming the shaft-support thereof, a series of carrier-teeth secured to the outer faces of the disks and a series of brackets secured to the inner faces of the disks, adapted to engage with the bearingseats of the scoops, substantially as and for the purpose specified.

2. In sprocket-drum construction the com bination of the disks, a hub connecting the disks, a series of carrier-teeth on the outer faces of the disks, and the series of angle-iron bars secured to the inner faces of the disks to form brackets for engaging the scoops of a conveyer-chain, substantially as and for the purpose specified.

3. The combination of a sprocket-drum comprising a pair of disks connected by a hub or shaft, a series of brackets arranged on the inner faces of the disks, a series of carrierteeth arranged on the outer faces of the disks, a series of scoops adapted to fit and be conveyed between the disks of the sprocketdrum provided with bearing-seats to engage the brackets of the disks and having a pair of cylindrical bosses or journals at their ends in the traveling plane of the carrier-teeth of the drum, a series of links received on the journals of the scoops connecting them in an endless conveyer-chain, and means for holding the links in place on their journals substantially in the manner, and for the purpose specified.

4. In a sprocket-drum for a chain of conveyer-scoops the combination of the disks A the hub D having the oil-reservoirf and connecting the disks, a shaft received through the hub, the carrier-teeth g arranged on the outer faces of the disks and the brackets h arranged on the inner faces thereof substantially as and for the purpose specified.

5. In a dredging-machine or digger the combination with a sprocket-drum for conveying a chain of scoops, and the holding arms or frames for supporting the drum, of a shaft secured in the frames and having the drum mounted thereon, the collars r mounted on the shaft between the drum and frame and secured respectively to said parts, and a divided case or band 25 having its sections clamped upon and inclosing the collars to form a water-tight joint between the drum and its stationary supports, substantially in the manner and for the purpose specified.

Signed by me at New Haven, Connecticut, this 3d day of January, 1905.

WILLIAM CROSSLEY.

Witnesses:

GEORGE L. BARNES, JOHN OURRIER GALLAGHER. 

